Summary: Sutton was in the running as one of the best defensive linemen in college football in 2012. He was right up there with Jadeveon Clowney, Star Lotulelei, Sheldon Richardson and Sharrif Floyd. In fact, Sutton had a better 2012 season than Aaron Donald as he was one of the nation's best pass rushers.
Sutton enjoyed a breakout season for the Sun Devils in 2012, recording 13 sacks. He also had 63 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, five passes broken up and three forced fumbles. Sutton presented a real speed mismatch against guards with the ability to fire by them to collapse the pocket.
Entering his senior year, Sutton was asked to gain weight, and he went from the 280s to around 315 pounds. Sutton still retained some explosion playing at a heavier weight, but clearly wasn't the dynamic player he was in 2012. Sutton was still awarded the 2013 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award over arguably more deserving players like Stanford's Trent Murphy or UCLA's Anthony Barr. He totaled 48 tackles with 13.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks. Sutton also saw a lot of double teams after his 2012 success.
At the Senior Bowl, Sutton was slow and out of shape at 315 pounds. That extra weight caused him to not have the same explosion, and he was easily winded. He was down to 303 pounds at the Combine, however, and looked much better. Currently Sutton is said to be in the mid 290s.
Sutton would be best as a three-technique defensive tackle. He is an excellent interior pass-rusher. Sutton beats guards with quickness and has nice hands to fight off blocks and close on the quarterback. His speed can set up a bull rush, and he is tenacious when it comes to getting heat on the quarterback.
Sutton gained the weight to begin with to help make him more stout in the ground game. He could stand to improve his ability to hold up against downhill rushing attacks coming straight at him, but as a player, he's at his best emphasizing his speed and pass-rush ability. If run defense is an issue, he could rotate out of the game in running situations, and that would keep him fresh to rush the passer.
Early in his career, Sutton would be a nice weapon as part of a rotation and being used as a situational pass rusher.
While Sutton has gone under the radar in the draft process, his 2012 season hasn't been forgotten by teams, and he could be a nice impact pick on the second day of the draft. Sutton could go in the second or third round.Player Comparison: Jonathan Baineaux. League sources they said they felt that Sutton was comparable to Babineaux. There are a lot of similarities, as they are about the same size and both are good interior pass rushers. Babineaux (6-2, 300) was a second-round pick in 2005, and Sutton could go on Day 2 this year. Babineaux has been a good player for Atlanta, and Sutton could be a similar style player in the NFL. NFL Matches: Jacksonville, Oakland, St. Louis, New York Giants, Dallas
The highest that Sutton could hope to go would be in the second round, and the lowest he would probably fall would be the third round. Sources have said that Sutton has graded out in the second or third round, so falling out of day two seems unlikely.
Jacksonville needs help all over its defense, including the inside of their defensive line. The Jaguars had a pathetic pass rush in 2013, and getting Sutton to cause disruption on the interior would help.
The Bears lost Henry Melton in free agency and could use a young difference maker at tackle. Sutton's speed combination fits the profile of a lot of Phil Emery's draft picks and he would be a great scheme fit for Mel Tucker.
The Raiders need to improve their defensive tackles and almost drafted one in the first round last year. Oakland has to get better at rushing the passer, and Sutton could have an impact in getting Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Alex Smith to move off a spot. Sutton makes a lot of sense for the Raiders if he falls to their pick in round three.
In the NFC East, the Giants lost Linval Joseph in free agency and have some older veterans at tackle coming back. They could use some talented youth. Dallas needs to land a three-technique pass rusher, and Sutton would be a good fit for Rod Marinelli. He can be paired with Henry Melton next year and after that Sutton could take over as the three technique. If the Cowboys don't draft a defensive tackle in the first round, they could target Sutton on day two.

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DaBears Ditka

SuperFanDBS Writer

Player Lowdown
[xtable=skin1|100%x@]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td=colspan:8}Combine Results{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}40 Yd{/td}
{td}20 Yd{/td}
{td}10 Yd{/td}
{td}225 Bench{/td}
{td}Vertical jump{/td}
{td}Broad{/td}
{td}Shuttle{/td}
{td}3-Cone Drill{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}5.36{/td}
{td}3.00{/td}
{td}1.82{/td}
{td}24{/td}
{td}28 1/2{/td}
{td}8'3"{/td}
{td}4.82{/td}
{td}7.93{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]
[xtable=skin1|100%x@]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td=colspan:8}Workout Results{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}40 Yd{/td}
{td}20 Yd{/td}
{td}10 Yd{/td}
{td}225 Bench{/td}
{td}Vertical jump{/td}
{td}Broad{/td}
{td}Shuttle{/td}
{td}3-Cone Drill{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}5.24{/td}
{td}3.03{/td}
{td}1.84{/td}
{td}-{/td}
{td}-{/td}
{td}-{/td}
{td}4.59{/td}
{td}7.70{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]Strengths WeaknessesSTRENGTHS:
Has a short, compact build that gives him a natural leverage advantage over most NFL offensive linemen. Times the snap well, flashing an explosive burst to slip through gaps. Possesses quick feet, balance and lateral agility to avoid cut-blocks. Accelerates very quickly to close on the ballcarrier. Possesses surprisingly strong and active hands to rip free from blocks and to rip away at the ball when he sees it exposed (three forced fumbles in 2012). Experienced at virtually every position along the defensive line. Instinctive defender who locates the ball well and hustles to get involved in the action. Peels away from blocks, spinning to rip away and pursue laterally or downfield, as needed. Good recognition of deception plays, reading and peeling off to blow up screens and draws. Showed his dedication to the program by earning the "Hard Hat" award for his work in the team's offseason strength and conditioning program in 2010 (year he missed due to academics)... Appears to be significantly heavier, stronger than his listed size by ASU (6-1, 267). Good bloodlines. Father, Mickey, played in the NFL for five years as a defensive back and punt returner with the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills.

WEAKNESSES:
Obvious size limitations and may prove to be just a rotational defender at the next level. Short arms and can get locked out by the longer arms of offensive linemen. Possesses very good short-area quickness but reaches max speed quickly and appears to have only moderate straight-line speed for the position despite his size. Seems to tire easily. Will make a big play and then disappear for long stretches. Only has one season of sustained success at the FBS level.Compares To: Geno Atkins, DT, Cincinnati Bengals -- Having increased his sack production each of his three seasons in the NFL, the 6-1, 300-pound Atkins has given hope to all undersized, quick-footed defensive tackles that they, too, can find a niche in today's pass-happy NFL.
Player Overview
Sutton looked like a future star for the Sun Devils as a true freshman, starting the first game of his career, playing in all 12 contests that season and demonstrating the ability to split gaps -- a requirement in then-defensive coordinator Craig Bray's scheme. Operating as a three-technique defensive tackle, Sutton registered 17 tackles, including three for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. While his numbers weren't staggering, Sutton was viewed as a player the team could build around... until it was announced just days before the opener that he'd miss the entire 2011 season due to academics. Sutton was a standout on the scout team, but that success didn't translate into eye-popping statistics upon his return to the starting lineup in 2011. Sutton registered 33 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, but it was hardly the dominant campaign some had projected. Still, his quickness seemed like an ideal fit in new head coach Todd Graham and his co-defensive coordinators' (Paul Randolph and Ron West) scheme. Few, however, could have predicted Sutton's breakout 2012 campaign in which he led the Pac-12 with 1.82 tackles for loss per game (20 in 11 games) and 10.5 sacks on the season. Appearing much stouter on film than the 6-1, 267 pounds he has been officially listed as by Arizona State over the past two years, Sutton could find surprising interest from NFL teams. With the proliferation of spread offenses in the NFL making it imperative that defenses put immediate pressure on the quarterback, "undersized" interior pass rush specialists like Sutton could have a niche, especially as teams begin to rotate their defensive linemen with increasing frequency.

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Position Coach

Not a huge fan of his play this season with the added weight, especially our bowl game where he got worked over without double teams. I'll give him a shot with non-dumbass coaching and pro nutrition/workouts.

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Veteran

Not a huge fan of his play this season with the added weight, especially our bowl game where he got worked over without double teams. I'll give him a shot with non-dumbass coaching and pro nutrition/workouts.

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So you think if he gets his weight down he's a better pick? How much does he have to lose and how feasible would you say that is? Is that your only gripe with Sutton?

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DaBears Ditka

SuperFanDBS Writer

Not a huge fan of his play this season with the added weight, especially our bowl game where he got worked over without double teams. I'll give him a shot with non-dumbass coaching and pro nutrition/workouts.

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670 is talking just about this. He was told to get bigger, but didn't do it correctly, so that really hurt him. I think w/the Bears pro staff they should be able to get his weight corrected, and then he well could be a steal.

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